Milan’s Conceicao embraces pressure ahead of Coppa Italia final

AC Milan manager Sergio Conceicao urged his players to embrace the pressure ahead of Wednesday’s Coppa Italia final as he stressed the importance of ending a tough season on a high.

With two matches of a disappointing Serie A season remaining for the eighth-placed team, a Coppa Italia victory over Bologna in the final in Rome would be a silver lining for Conceicao’s side who also lifted the Italian Super Cup in January.

“It will surely be a pleasure if we can win this trophy and satisfy the fans in a difficult year. From the outside, we may seem angry, but it’s not the case. We have immense joy in playing this final,” Conceicao told reporters.

“This pressure is part of Milan’s history. It’s normal in these big clubs. We must only focus on tomorrow and be ready.”

For Conceicao, Rome’s Stadio Olimpico is familiar territory, having spent time at Lazio as a player.

“This stadium has surely given me satisfaction as a player, but it’s the past. Tomorrow, we’ll need to be at our best against a team that fights every duel like it was the last one,” he said.

After beating Bologna 3-1 in Serie A on Friday, Conceicao was keeping his cards close to his chest on his starting lineup.

“I’m not saying it, I haven’t even told them (the players). They don’t know,” he said adding that striker Rafael Leao and midfielder Youssouf Fofana will be involved after missing Friday’s win.

“Positive results improve the atmosphere; I’m aware I have a healthy group,” Conceicao said.

Bologna will play in the Coppa Italia final for the first time since their victory in 1974 and manager Vincenzo Italiano said it carried emotional significance for the club.

“It will be emotional. After so many years, we’ve managed to gift an important match to an entire city,” said Italiano in his press conference.

“You can feel that there is great anticipation for the match in the city. Once the referee blows the whistle, we’ll have to think about the 30,000 supporters in the stadium, who will be just as hungry as we try to bring this trophy home.”

Italiano added that Friday’s defeat was a valuable lesson, providing the team with a chance to learn and ensure they don’t repeat the same mistakes in the final.

“Every match starts from zero and we must not forget about Friday when we switched off for 15 minutes. We need to play freely, lightheartedly, with joy and no regrets. We’ll try to be ready,” he said.

“We will try to take another step towards history. We know we’ll face a team full of champions.”